The Final Year
by xXLoverOrHaterXx
Summary: ON HIATUS for REVISION of stories.
1. Chapter 1: Lily's POV

**Hello, hello Harry Potter fandom! It's nice to finally post something on here! I've written for other fandoms in the past but I've been reading this one for awhile. I know it's been done before but I wanted to show you all my take on the Marauders' and Lily's last year at Hogwarts.**

**Here we go!**

Seventh year. I had made it at last. Finally, my life was coming full circle. I could graduate from Hogwarts, top grades, of course, with a clear future in mind (maybe it would be clear at the end of the year anyway). But maybe best of all was that I, Lily Evans, did not have to take any crap from James Potter this year, along with his band of idiots, the Marauders. Even if he tried something, I could always just give him detention. That would be fun.

So I smiled as I made my way down to the Prefects compartment. I was the Head Girl now, and I relished the chance to get the Marauders back for everything they had dished out from over the years. The last Head Boy and Head Girl (Frank Longbottom and his girlfriend Alice Greengrass) had been entirely too relaxed in dealing with them, turning a blind eye to many of their pranks, and leaving me and the Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall to put a stop to them.

There were four in all. Peter Pettigrew was a skinny boy with watery blue eyes. He acted nervous most of the time, but he was fairly nice – kind of. He worshiped all the others did as if they were gods or something. He wasn't bad, but still not my favorite.

Also, there was Remus Lupin. He was friendly and kind, my favorite of the four. I did not know why he hung out with them, he was too nice. He had lightish brown hair and brown eyes. He was often skinny and pale, though, and that worried me, as well as his constantly sick family. He was the only Marauder I could stand, and we were friends, I guess.

Then there was Sirius Black. Now we are getting into the last and worst Marauders, the ones I cannot stand for my life. He was prankster and ladies man extraordinaire. He had been with more girls in the range of three years than I could count. Black was handsome, I suppose, with his black, curly, yet tamable hair, chiseled, aristocratic features, and stormy gray eyes. The girls just threw themselves at him, something I found utterly disgusting. A true woman would control the man, not the other way around! He was a bit cruel as well, especially to Slytherins. It felt wrong to me.

And lastly, my least favorite Marauder and co-ringleader to the group, James Potter. He was an arrogant toe – rag who cared about no one but himself. He was the second most eligible bachelor (but I say bastard) in Hogwarts, second only to Black. He wasn't quite as characteristically handsome as Black, but he had a certain air around him that the ladies loved. He had bright hazel eyes, that gleamed beneath his round glasses, tousled black hair that never laid flat and looked silky soft, and a lovely body that was only natural to have after years of playing the wizarding sport Quidditch –

I stopped dead in the passageways of the Hogwarts Express. 'No, no, no, no, no!' I thought furiously. I did not just think what I think I thought, had I?

Had Lily Evans just placed the words James Potter and lovely body in the same thought?

Some little first years brushed past me quickly, running up the corridor, giggling. I stayed frozen, thinking of the blasphemous act I had committed. James Potter had been chasing me for years, ever since we were thirteen. I had turned him down over and over, hoping he would just give up and finally stop embarrassing me. After all, there had to be one thing the famous James Potter couldn't get, and I had decided to be that thing.

'Okay Lily, that's all you get,' I told myself. 'One thought, just one and that's it no more. You do not need that arrogant little berk in your life.'

So I shook myself, mentally kicked myself and continued along the hallway, to the Head Boy and Head and Prefect compartment. I had no clue who the Head Boy was, but I was hoping beyond hope that it would be Remus Lupin. I know I just ranted about the Marauders, but Remus wasn't that bad and this way, they nearly had to stop all of their pranks because everyone knew Remus was the mastermind (although they had managed to pull several more pranks then I would have guessed they would have been able to the last two years, even though Remus had been made a Prefect). He would have more control over his fellow Marauders, as well.

I held my breath as I pushed my way into the compartment, waiting to see Remus standing, looking for me.

But no. I locked eyes with someone else, someone I hated.

"Evans," greeted the voice of James Potter cordially. "We were waiting for you."

I thought I was going to faint.

"P – Potter?" I said, completely caught off guard. "What are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be off reeking havoc with Black?"

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Not today. I have to greet my new underlings don't I?"

I blanched. "Your underlings?"

"Yup," he said, smile still firmly in place. "Meet your new Head Boy, Evans."

I started to laugh. "That's hilarious Potter!" I said, giggling madly. "No one in their right mind would ever make you Head Boy."

"Well you'd better talk to Dumbledore and McGonagall, maybe send them off to St. Mungo's if you're so worried," Potter said cheekily.

Then I saw it. Remus was sitting close to Potter, watching both of us. He was sitting. And the expression on his face was not one of laughter or annoyance. It held a bit of exasperation but respect and patience.

"Y – you're not kidding?" I asked, barely able to form the words. "You're serious?"

"Not quite, that's my best mate," Potter said with an even bigger grin. "But I am telling the truth. I am Head Boy."

"But – but you're you!" I shouted. "What the bloody hell are they thinking, making you Head Boy when you can't go a week without blowing stuff up or hurting someone –"

Remus was suddenly on his feet. "Lily –" he said, but I didn't stop.

"You are so irresponsible and arrogant, pulling pranks and never taking anything seriously! You can't do anything that requires any sort of carefulness or –"

"Lily!" Remus yelled, and, shocked, I stopped. I had never heard the quiet boy raise his voice before.

"What?" I asked, but Remus wasn't looking at me anymore.

"James…" Remus was saying.

"Okay." I stared at James Potter, completely stunned by the dead tone that he had taken on. His expression had done a total 180 from before. His face shadows lingered over his face, and his eyes looked haunted. "I'm glad you think so little of me Evans." Was the next thing to come out of him mouth, but it wasn't a snarl or anything. It was still in the dead, exhausted, worn down tone. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should just leave this job for you to do by yourself."

"Prongs," Remus said again, sounding slightly alarmed.

"Have fun," he said dully. He walked in almost mechanically and opened the door, disappearing.

I didn't think I had a word for what had just happened. I had never, ever - ever - seen Potter so down before. Ever.

"Remus…" I said, not knowing what had happened.

He had gone to the door to follow his friend. Remus turned back to me. "Sorry," he said with a very tight smile. "James… well I can't tell you, but he had a hard summer. I should go find him, we'll talk to you later about the schedule and everything." And then he left, too.

That left me felling utterly bemused and a little guilty with a bunch of other wizards and witches my age and younger. What a lovely way to start out the year.

**So? What did everyone think? I hope you all liked it, I think I might have started a bit fast, but I usually do that… well, please, please tell me what you think. Also, just one more thing, I'll be changing points of view for each chapter. The next one will be Sirius's POV but you can give me who you want me to do next!**

**Hoping for your reviews**

**~Lover or Hater**


	2. Chapter 2: Sirius's POV

_**Yup, updated twice in one day. This is Sirius's Point of View. I'm not sure how well it is, but you guys can all tell me what you think. **_

_**Thank you to HogwartsRocks and MaryLouise1999 for reviewing**_

_**Thank you again to HogwartsRocks for favoriting **_

_**And lastly, thank you to HogwartsRocks, MaryLouise1999, PonygalBlack0911, jholms, and siriustwilighter for putting this on your Alert List**_

_**On to le story!**_

The door to our compartment swung open and closed. I looked up from my game of Exploding Snap to see one of my best friends, Remus Lupin.

"Moony!" I cried, happy but a bit confused. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be with Prongs, helping him show off to Evans."

Remus looked worried. "Sirius don't," he said. "I have no clue where James is. He ran out of the meeting."

I gaped at him. "He **what**?"

"Apparently him being Head Boy was a bit of a shock for Lily. She said some stuff that wasn't so nice –"

I was on my feet at once. "Shit," I said. "We have to find him before he does something stupid."

"I know," Remus said. "But how do we find him?"

"What if he's under the Cloak?" squeaked our other friend Peter Pettigrew from his spot of the floor.

"Worst case scenario," said Remus quickly. "But let's focus on finding him first."

"We can stay away from any places the Slytherins usually sit," I said. "He would never go there. I would check in the bathrooms or in some empty compartments. Meet back here in any hour, okay?"

The other two nodded but I wasn't going to go after James just now. There was someone else I needed to talk to first.

I stormed out of our compartment and hurried down towards the Prefect/Head Boy and Girl one. I flung open the door with all my might.

"Evans," I snapped, not looking at the startled expressions on the Prefects faces. "I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait Black?" she asked, trying to sound irritated but I caught the scared tremor to her voice. "I'm busy."

"It can't and you know it," I snarled, trying not to sound too much like the shaggy black dog that was inside of me.

She sighed and nodded to the group. "I've pretty much laid out the base line for everyone. You might as well just go."

The Prefects minus Remus all filed out, casting worried looks at the two of us. Well, most of them. Two glared at me hatefully and I returned the gaze of my little brother and arch-nemisis just the same.

Lily Evans faced me angrily. "What Black?"

"What did you say to James?" I asked, fury leaking into my tone.

She looked indignant. "Nothing that wasn't true! I've said all that stuff a billion times before, it's not my fault he decided to take this time seriously!"

I growled. "Please tell me you didn't call him arrogant or irresponsible or anything of that nature."

A flush crept up on her cheeks. "So what if I did? He is all those things!"

I laughed humorlessly. "You're talking about a different James, the one who you've been going to school with all these years, Evans but guess what? People change. If you had any idea what James went through this summer, you'd be down on your knees begging for forgiveness."

Evans snorted. "I don't think **anything** could make me do that."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," I hissed. "You dream up James Potter as having some sort of fairy tale life when not at Hogwarts, don't you? Well, you might have been right for some of the last years but not anymore. And he bloody blames himself!"

"For what?" she shrieked. She sounded furious and that ticked me off even more. Maybe her life wasn't perfect but I was sure it was a hell of a lot better than Prongs' or mine. "Blames himself for what, losing one of his precious family heirlooms? What, did someone steal a few Galleons of the giant Potter fortune? Oh poor, poor Potter!"

"Don't talk about what you don't understand!" I shouted. "He went through hell this summer and you are just making it worse!"

"Hell is not the word I'd use to describe his life Black!" screamed Evans. "It's perfect, surrounded by talented and rich wizards and witches, none of them judging him for what he is and what he can do."

"That's a load of bull," I snarled. "He's always been judge and poked and prodded, maybe not by his parents these last years but by everyone else. You have no idea what happened this summer, why don't you just leave him alone?"

"I would if he would!"

"He doesn't insult you!"

"He insults my intelligence."

"Good for him, because I'm starting to doubt if you have any!" I spat. Evans suddenly went bright red but before she could start shouting at me again, I continued. "I don't know what he sees in you, you're so selfish, all you care about is yourself."

"Me?" she laughed crazily. "**I'm** selfish? What about him? He's just a bully!"

"That's enough," a new, quiet voice broke into our conversation. Remus slid in between us. "Sirius, you should have been helping look for James."

I looked away. "Sorry," I mumbled. "Did you find him?"

"We did. Peter's with him now but we should get back," said Remus softly. Then he turned to Evans. "Lily, I'm ashamed of you. You have no **idea **what lengths James will go to protect his friends." He looked to the side a bit and I know he was remembering when James, Peter, and I had become Animagi. James had been the one to convince us to take the final plunge for Remus and he had been the one to convince Remus to let us stay with him during the full moon. We were all closer because of James's selflessness. There were two things James had always been and it was selfless and loyal and that would never change.

Evans didn't look convinced. "I'll believe it when I see it," she sniffed.

I started forward but Remus blocked me. "Don't do it Sirius," he said. "We should go see James."

I glared at Evans over his shoulder but stalked away. Remus shot her a disapproving look which was almost worse than him shouting and yelling (both had been directed at me before and I still wasn't sure which one I hated more).

I stayed silent all the way back to our compartment. I knew James probably wouldn't be happy when he heard what I did – either that or he wouldn't care. His mood swings were becoming unpredictable lately, even for the Marauders.

And there he was sitting, head down, nearly in the fatal position. It hurt me to see my best friend like this especially over something that wasn't his fault.

"Prongs?" I asked, approaching him slowly. "Are you alright?"

He lifted his pale, drawn face and twisted his lips into a smile so fake it sent a stab of pain through me. "Yeah – I… I'm fine."

I felt a quick stir of anger but I forced it down again. James didn't need me to get angry with him right now. There would be time for that later.

"Evans was out of line mate," I said, ignoring the wince of Remus by my side. I knew he thought I was being too straight with him but he needed to see. "You aren't like that –"

"But I was, wasn't I?" he asked, void of emotion. "I was arrogant, I was irresponsible and now look. If I had just paid more attention –"

Remus interrupted. "You can't blame yourself, Prongs. There was nothing you could do. It wasn't your fault."

"But I should have done something," he protested.

"Like what?" Remus said, faster than I could get the exact same words out of my own mouth. "You couldn't've helped and it's okay; no one blames you and you shouldn't either. You promised us Prongs."

I remembered the promise we forced James into before we boarded the train. He had to try and be normalish all year and try to forget what he had seen. He had agreed very reluctantly.

"Moony's right," I said. "You did promise and we're not even off the train yet, but you've already broken it. You have to try."

When James didn't respond, Remus spoke again. "Remember what you told me when you all found out a was a werewolf? You asked how it was my fault that I got bit and said I shouldn't let my self-pity rule my life. You were right but here you are, being a hypocrite. I try and so should you."

"You said the same thing to me when my mother kicked me out," I reminded him. "Don't tell us what to do if you can't do it yourself."

James's twisted smile loosened a bit. "That's just what I want to here, my best mates calling me hypocrite."

"You are being one," I said, smiling swiftly. "But you have to keep your promise. You solemnly swore on your honor as a Marauder!"

"Alright, alright," he sighed. "I'll keep trying."

Remus relaxed, taking the seat by Peter. I slid backward in my seat beside James. He did look better but I saw the haunted look in his eyes. The anger I had felt at Evans before stewed again. I didn't have a clue how someone could be so self-centered and uncaring. She didn't realize how much James truly felt about her opinion so that left him with two options.

One: she had to realize that he **actually **loved her and she loved him as well.

Or

Two: he had to get over her.

He had been hung up on one bird for far too long. He needed a break, especially after what happened. And there was no way I, Sirius Black, would let my best mate, my brother, be hurt anymore then he was already.

It was time for an intervention.

_**Well, it was a bit short, but I think I like it. What do you all think? Please review!**_

_**Also, is anyone from the US watching the elections? It's all soooo close!**_

_**Until next time, **_

_**~Lover or Hater**_


	3. Chapter 3: Lily's POV

**And now we go back to Lily. She'll be the one who has the most POV's in the story. Sorry everyone who wants to know about James's summer but you'll just have to wait!**

**Thank you to HogwartsRocks for reviewing**

**Thank you to Leslie93 for adding this to your Alert List**

**And now we proceed to the temperamental redhead we know as Lily**_**.**_

I was seething. I honestly couldn't believe what had just happened. How dare Sirius Black come up to me and yell at me because Potter had a bad summer? How was that _my_ fault?

I was now in my robes, getting out of the Hogwarts Express with the younger students.

"Lily!" called my best friend, Mary MacDonald. Next to her was her own friend Marlene McKinnon. Marlene wasn't my favorite girl, but she was nice enough, and I now counted her as one of my closest friends. I walked over to them quickly.

"There you are," Mary sounded exasperated. "What kept you? Was the Head Boy very handsome?"

"The opposite really," I sighed. "It's James Potter."

Mary rolled her eyes and Marlene snorted. "That's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. One, James Potter could never get Head Boy. He spends too much time pranking with his mates. Two, James is nearly as yummy as Sirius Black, and that boy is a great kisser as well."

"How would you know?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Last year," Marlene smirked. "We got locked in a broom closet."

"Oh really?" asked Mary, giggling. "You mean you didn't drag him in there?"

"No!" said Marlene indignantly as Mary dissolved into laughter. Listening to them talk made the fire in me burn brighter.

"Well, thank you for that," I said testily. "But _yes_, he is the Head Boy."

I saw their disbelieving looks and held up my hands. "Yeah, I know, I was shocked too. And you know what else? Apparently something bad happened to Potter over the summer. Before we could even start the meeting, he just got up and left after I called him arrogant and irresponsible. Then Black showed up out of nowhere and started shouting at me that I was selfish."

Mary and Marlene looked shocked, but exchanged a swift glance. I glared at them suspiciously.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Mary said quickly. "We're just wondering what's going on with James."

"Really," I said doubtfully.

Mary grinned but she looked uneasy. "Yup. Well, think it through." She continued. "If he's like that, then maybe he won't bother you this year."

I frowned. "I don't think so. Potter'll probably be over whatever happened to him by … tomorrow, I'd say."

"No," Mary said, face concentrated. "I heard something about the Potter's from my mother. She works for the Department of Law Enforcement so she wasn't supposed to tell me anything really, but she said it was bad."

"Maybe they got robbed," I said, waiting in line for the carriages that were, as always, pulling themselves. A body brushed mine and when I looked up to see who had, I started right into Remus's brown eyes. He looked coldly at me.

"Lily," he said shortly. I felt like I had been hit with an Icing Jinx. I had never heard sweet, polite Remus talk to anyone like that before.

"Hello again, Re – Remus," I said, surprise evident in my voice. I hadn't noticed before, but Remus could be downright _scary_ when he wanted to be.

"Hey Moony!" an excited voice cut across the darkness. Black pushed himself to Remus's side, scowling deeply when he saw me. "What are you talking to her for?"

Sirius was usually a cheerful guy. He had been angry with me before, upset when I told a teacher about one of his pranks or when I had turned down his best mate yet again, but he had always vented his anger by telling me in extensive, very detailed ways how he was going to get back at me via prank. Now, like Remus, he looked frightening.

"H – Hi Sirius," I choked. "How was your summer?"

I guess that was probably the worst thing to say, but I'm not good under pressure.

Black just glared at me for another second before turning back to Remus, not even acknowledge my question. "Let's go Remus," he said, voice icy. "We can't let James get near _her_."

And he stalked off without a backward glance. Remus at least spared me with one final look, mostly chilling and a bit sympathetic, before following his friend.

When I turned back to Mary and Marlene, I saw their shock mirrored mine.

"What – what did you do?" Marlene breathed, for once speechless.

"I told you, I just yelled at Potter," I said, barely able to form the words. "He stormed out…"

"Whatever happened after that must have been terrible," Mary said, staring after Remus and Black. "I've never – _ever_ – seen Remus act like that towards anyone, not even when he and Sirius weren't talking a couple years ago."

"I know," I whispered. I had thought the bad thing that happened to Potter was something small, something that could happen to any of us, and it just seemed big because he was _Potter_. But now I was beginning to doubt that. For Remus to get so mad at me, it would have to have been bad.

I didn't have much time to dwell on it though, seeing as we reached the carriages. Two groups of people were standing before us, one – just my luck – the Marauders. A group of sixth year girls stood behind them giggling madly. This annoyed me to no end usually but this time I was staring at Potter. He had his had stretched out and he was touching thin air, gazing at it intently like he could see something.

"Prongs," sighed Black from beside his best mate. "I'm telling you, there's nothing there."

"Shh Padfoot," chided Remus. "They're a little shocking the first time."

"I want to see them," Black whined and then flinched right after. Potter whipped his head around at top speed.

"I would have gladly traded places with you this summer." he said in a low, dangerous voice.

Black looked upset and apologetic. "I know," he said, looking downwards. "I'm sorry Prongs."

Potter took a deep breath. "It's okay," he said in a still low voice, but this time it was more strained. "I know you're having a hard time with it too."

Black's head snapped up. "Not nearly as hard as you!" he cried. "That was stupid, I really am sorry I mentioned –"

"We all know you're stupid Padfoot," Potter cut him off. A small trace of his usually smirk slipped across his face. "We learned to live with it a long time ago."

The boys smiled slightly at each other and climbed on the carriage. As Potter sat, he turned to face me. His hazel eyes locked with my green eyes for a second and I saw darkness and fear. He was hiding something.

"Lily?" Mary asked, nudging me. I jumped and Potter looked away, glancing down at the empty front of the carriage and then back at his mates.

"Yeah?" I said, a bit unsettled.

"Did you see James there?" Mary asked. "He was touching the air…"

"I know. It looks like he's finally losing it, right?" I joked half heartedly. Mary and Marlene laughed though, and we got into our carriage.

We rode to the castle and entered the Great Hall. Mary and Marlene led the way in and sat – next to the Marauders. Sigh. _Why_ did they have to torture me so? I was seriously beginning to reconsider my friendship with the pair of them.

I sat myself down between Marlene to Mary. Black was sitting beside her, Remus across from him, with Peter Pettigrew next to him. On Black's other side was Potter, of course. Those two boys were joined at the hip; they were so close they could have been brothers.

Black looked over Mary coldly. "If we're ruining your appetite because we are too arrogant, you can always leave, Evans."

I flinched when none of the other Marauders, not even Remus, said a thing about Black's rude words.

"If Lily goes, we go," Mary snapped back. "Why are you so upset anyway?"

Black opened his mouth to retort but Remus stopped him.

"Not here Padfoot," he said.

Black looked outraged. "But –"

"Moony's right Pads," Potter said tiredly. I looked over at him, just noticing the shadows under his eyes. "I don't want to make a scene."

Mary, Marlene, and I tossed each other shocked looks. James bloody Potter didn't want to make a scene? Potter _lived_ to make scenes, and now he didn't want to?

"Fine," grumbled Sirius, before gazing up at the teacher's table. I had only just seen the first years getting ready to be Sorted. "I'm hungry. I hope the Sorting goes fast."

Mary frowned at him. "The Sorting is _important_. I, for one want to see who gets into Gryffindor this year."

"Geez, you sound like Moony," he said, not looking at Mary. "You two should definitely date."

Mary and Remus blushed, and Peter snickered. Black didn't even glance at his mate or mine, and Potter didn't react at all. He was just staring blankly into his empty plate. I looked around, unsure of what to do, and saw Remus had refocused his attention onto his friend.

"James," he said softly. Potter started and looked at his friend. Black's head snapped around sharply.

"Stop it Prongs," Black said with a warning clear in his tone.

Potter shook himself slightly, and his eyes cleared somewhat. "Sorry," he said, a tiny smile appearing on his face. "Just tired."

"Hm," Remus said frowning. "Maybe you'll feel better after you've had something to eat."

Potter scowled at Remus. "I don't know if –"

"Yeah!" squeaked Peter suddenly. "You always tell us that food makes everything better."

He turned his glare on the last Marauder. "I guess so," he said reluctantly.

"Good," Black said bracingly. "It's nice to be back, isn't it?" he said abruptly. "With friends?"

"Definitely." Remus said. "Good to be away from the world for a bit."

Potter smiled wryly at his friends. "It's not helping," he said in the tired voice he had used before. "Thanks for trying, but it's not helping."

'_What isn't helping?' _I asked myself. _What's going on?'_

"Sometimes you just need a break," Black continued, acting like he had not heard Potter. "You just need to hang out with your mates for a bit to take your mind off things."

"Sirius," Potter sighed.

"Sometimes," Black said, louder this time. "You just need to _talk_ to your friends and _not do anything stupid_."

Finally, Potter cracked a real grin, one that I had seen on his face time and time again. "You're the one to talk about doing something stupid, Black."

"Ah, there's the Prongs we know and love," Black said, his smile matching his mates. "I knew we would get there eventually."

"Don't push it," Potter said.

Black's grin faded. "Oh, _I'm _not going to."

I looked down, letting my hair fall in front on my face to hide my wince. Black was talking about me. _I _had pushed… it. Whatever 'it' was. And now Potter wasn't acting normal. It had taken the combined effort of all his closest friends to get him to _really_ smile. I had no idea what had happened to Potter over the summer, but if it was making him act like this, it must have been horrible. After all, this was James Potter, toe rag, bigheaded, arrogant, prankster, ladies man James Potter. He had laughed off countless detentions and loss of points, as well as my rejection over and over and over and he just kept doing it again and again. I had started to believe _nothing_ could get to him. But apparently something had.

And I wanted to know what.

**So, that's it for now. Not incredibly long (I'm still working myself up to those kinds of chapters) but the longest so far. So maybe that deserves a review? Please? I love them more than anything because they tell me people are actually reading and enjoying The Final Year. Constructive criticism is always welcome, and if you feel like flaming, go right ahead, it only gives me another review, and I've got thick skin. But, any flamers out there, it'll probably just be a waste of your time, because I will most likely just laugh at it. **

**So, anyway, please review, it really helps me write faster because it tells me that people are waiting for it, and they want to read more. Plus, if you do, you can see what happened to James and you get to see James and Lily together yet again! Now who doesn't want that?**

**Hoping for a few more reviews,**

**~Lover or Hater**


	4. Chapter 4: Lily's POV

**I'm back! Yay! So now we continue on into the mysteries of The Final Year…**

**Thank you emilylovessiriusblack, MaryLouise1996, HogwartsRocks, FlyWithMe2Neverland, LifeAfterYou21, Madame Bellatrix B. Lestrange, and Selma for reviewing.**

**I wish I could have updated before, but my computer died, and it's very old so it's slow. Hopefully I can get a new one soon, but we'll have to see.**

**Everyone is so interested in what happened to James. Well, all I can say is that you'll find out soon my lovely readers and reviewers. Remember, patience is a virtue. And anyway, I don't want to drag this on for too long, I hope to have about 10 chapters, so you'll get to know what's up pretty fast.**

**Also, thank you for all those who have followed and favorited, but I can't keep listing you here because it takes too long.**

**And finally, a disclaimer because I haven't done one yet. I am not J.K. Rowling and I do not own these characters, or most of the settings. **

**Here we go.**

**Chapter Four: Lily's POV**

"I was just walking! Just minding my own business, wasn't I? What did I ever do to that stupid, arrogant git? I mean honestly, how is this my fault?"

"Whoa, whoa," Mary said, holding up her hands. She looked slightly alarmed which – even though I suppose she had a right to be because I had just stormed into our dorm, muttering furiously to myself – annoyed me. "What's going on? Is it Potter again?"

"No!" I shouted. "It's Black, that stupid wanker! The _nerve _of some people, I can't believe –"

"Lily!" Mary shouted. "Slow down. What's up? What did Black do?"

"The same stupid thing he did on the train, that's what!" I snapped. "Just came up and started threatening me."

"What?" Mary said. I was beginning to think she said that way too much.

I huffed and threw myself down on her bed where she was sitting and told her all about my recent meeting with one of the Marauders.

"_Evans." He had said, pushing himself off the wall, glaring down at me._

_I rolled my eyes. I'd had enough of the Marauders already and the term had just barely started. "What Black?" I asked coldly._

"_I just came to warn you," he said. "You'd better stay away from James this year."_

_I laughed. "What? Jealous Black?"_

_He ignored the taunt, and I realized the bloke was actually being __**serious**__. Alright fine, it's a bad pun, but I couldn't help myself. _

"_Leave Prongs alone Evans. He's got enough to deal with this year without you screwing with him again."_

"_**Me**__?" I asked incredulous. "__**I**__ screw with Potter? I don't know where you've been for the last six years Black, but Potter most definitely screws with me, not the other way around."_

"_Not last year," Black said angrily and I flinched._

"_How'd you know about that?" I asked._

_Black snorted. "Prongs is my best mate. He would tell me if a girl was playing with him. You're lucky he stopped me from going after you last year. But maybe now he won't be so kind."_

"_Don't sound so excited."_

"_Shut up Evans," Black growled. "Listen, stay away from James. I don't care who dares you, just know that this year is different. Don't toy with him again, or I will track you down and Moony will help me. Stay out of it."_

_He pushed pasted me, not apologizing when he slammed his shoulder hard into mine. I turned, absolutely livid._

"_Like he hasn't been playing me all these years! You think I didn't get tired of him asking me out all the time, embarrassing me, just because I was the only thing he couldn't have?" I yelled after Black. _

_He stopped and turned back towards me. "You don't know a bloody thing about that __**Evans**__," he snarled. "So don't talk about what you don't understand, yeah?"_

_And he was gone before I could retort. _

When I finished telling Mary about the run in, she was frowning.

"Did you ever apologize for doing that dare?" she asked me.

I hesitated but shook my head. "Not really. I don't see why it's a big deal."

"I think it was," Mary said. "James's been asking you out for a long time. He probably took that personally."

I scoffed. "It's all just a big joke for him," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm the only thing he can't have, so he chased me for three years. After fifth year, he slowed down because he realized that I wasn't going to let myself fall for him."

"Lily, he's never wanted anyone besides you," Mary pointed out. "He's never gotten me, and he wasn't chasing me all those years."

"That's not true," I said. "You fancied him a bit in fourth year remember? It probably got back to him, and he thought that you were just another one done."

"He's never really dated you know," Mary said mildly.

"That's not true," I said. "He loves taking different girls to Hogsmeade."

"But he's never _dated_."

"So what? That just means he's a player."

Mary sighed. "Fine, whatever. I'm not going to live my life trying to convince you."

"Good," I said. "But why is Black getting so mad at me? Honestly, I haven't done anything wrong."

"Okay, let's see," Mary said. She started ticking off reasons on her fingers. "You've rudely rejected James ever since third year –"

"He was a bullying toe rag," I said.

Mary continued like she hadn't heard me, "– you haven't apologized for last year –"

"If he apologized for everything he did, I would do the same," I protested.

She just kept going. "– You didn't give him a chance at the meeting on the train –"

"He's James bloody Potter! You know the leader of the Marauders?"

"– you shouted at him even though he did nothing wrong –"

"But –"

And now she was cutting _me_ off. "– you were rude, you haven't apologized for that, and you still haven't said one tiny thing about that bad thing that happened to Potter this summer."

"Are you finished?" I asked sarcastically.

Mary pretended to consider. "Yeah, I think so." She said, laughing.

"Well, I'm so sorry, but for some reason, I'm not allowed to go anywhere near Potter because he's delicate," I rolled my eyes jokingly but Mary didn't react the way I thought she would.

She frowned deeply. "Lily, that's not polite," she said. "You don't know what happened to James, you shouldn't be saying things like that!"

"Please," I snorted. "Potter is a good little boy; I don't see what could go wrong with his life."

"Lily," Mary said. "Is this just because you're jealous of him?"

"No!" I said. Okay, maybe I was a bit jealous, but who wouldn't be? Potter had parents who love him endlessly, no siblings, a huge house, lots of money, and a perfect pedigree.

Mary shook her head. "Lily," she sighed.

I blushed. "Okay, maybe a little. But come on, he has it so good! He's popular, handsome, he _always_, gets good marks, he's got loads of money, no siblings –"

"Oh, so that's what this is about," Mary nodded.

"What'd mean?" I asked.

"You're upset because of Petunia. You're jealous because he doesn't have anyone like her in his life."

"What?" I spluttered. "That's ridiculous, I –"

"Stop trying to deny it." Mary said. "Look, I know James has it pretty good at home, but that doesn't mean bad things can't happen to him. Just give him a chance, will you?"

I brushed the hair out of my face with a sigh. "Okay. Actually, I was planning to figure out what happened to Potter."

"Oh?" Mary asked, expression suddenly amused. "What why is that?"

"Maybe because then Black will stop telling me off," I shrugged. "Why would – oh, no Mary, yuck! You aren't saying –"

Mary burst into giggles. "You – you should see your face!" she gasped.

"That was mean," I said, looking around. "Hey what time is it?"

She looked towards the clock on her table. "7:28, why?"

"Crap!" I said, leaping up. "I have to meet Potter to set up the patrols."

"Well, I'm sure that'll go over nicely," Mary smirked.

I huffed at her, grabbed my bag, and raced down the stairs. The Marauders weren't in the common room though, and I looked hesitantly up the stairway that led to their dorm.

I went up to the door that read _'Seventh Year Boys' _and under that, there were marks that looked like they had been cut into the door that said _'The Marauders. Enter at your own risk.'_ I was about to knock when I heard voices coming from inside.

"Let it go Padfoot," James Potter sighed. "I'm _fine_."

"That is a spectacular lie," Remus's voice said.

"See?" Black was talking now. "Even Moony agrees with me."

"Actually, I never said I agreed with you, I just said that Prongs was lying when he said he was fine."

"I am not giving up," Potter said. "And you all don't have to be so mean."

"You weren't even given a chance!" Black protested but Remus sighed.

"I think he's right."

"Well damn then," Black said. "I was counting on someone's support. How 'bout you Wormtail, what'd you think about this?"

"I – I don't know," Pettigrew said. "It might be a good idea to apologize but –"

Black didn't allow him to finish. "I am not apologizing. Not unless she does first."

"Look, it's nice how you are all so protective," Potter's voice sounded amused now. "But I can take care of myself."

"Annoying, isn't it? How you've got three block heads trying to take care of all your problems," Remus said, laughter evident in his voice.

Potter laughed. "I am very sorry for being over bearing with your furry little problem Remus, but it doesn't mean I'm going to stop."

"There's your answer, right there," Black said. I could practically _hear_ the smirk in his voice. "The Marauders don't leave a member behind."

I honestly almost fell over. The world was coming to an end. _Black_ was being sentimental. I couldn't have been more surprised if a Muggle splashed water on me and I started melting, or if Voldemort suddenly decided to give up and marry a Muggle. Apparently, Potter agreed with my statements.

"I'm losing you Pads," he joked. Then he continued and I thought I had just died and gone to an Alternate Universe. "The Marauders are a _family_. We're brothers."

The rest of the said unanimously, "_Brothers_."

There was no way. That had not just happened. I knew the Marauders were like brothers, they were so close, but I hadn't thought they would ever be humble enough to admit it, especially Potter and Black, and those two were the one who actually _said _it. I felt like the world had just turned upside down, inside out, and backwards.

'_Don't worry your pretty little head about it,' _a chiding, sneering voice in my head said, sounding eerily like Petunia's. _'Even Potter has got to have some people that he cares about. Doesn't mean he'll act the same around everyone else.'_

'_But you have been misjudging him,' _a new voice said, sounding like my mother's_. "Maybe Potter isn't so bad after all.'_

I shook off the voices and knocked on the door. The call of "come in!" sounded. I pushed open the door and entered.

It was a mess. There were _already_ clothes scattered all over the place and we hadn't even been back for a week yet. The beds were unmade, trunks open, junk strewn everywhere. The Marauders were sitting at the back of the room, Remus on a bed that I guessed what his, Peter sitting by the end of that bed, and then Black leaning against a wall with a door that I assumed led to their bathroom, with Potter sitting on the bed across from Remus. Black scowled when he saw it was me but the rest greeted me somewhat courteously.

"Evans," Potter said shortly, before turning back to a weird looking map displayed on his bed.

"Hey Lily," Remus said and Peter nodded in greeting.

"Hi," I replied. "Potter, we have to plan the prefect patrols –"

"Oh right," Potter said, glancing up. "Moony, you got that list?"

Remus nodded and turned to his neat bedside table, pulling a paper out from under a book and handed it to Potter. He looked it over quickly and thrust it at me.

"There you go, Evans," Potter said, waving the piece of paper.

I took it from him. "What's this Potter?"

"Prefect patrol schedule," Potter said, returning his attention back to the map on his bed.

"What?" I asked, thinking I misheard. Potter just shrugged and tapped something on the map, frowning.

Remus sighed. "Because we skipped the first meeting on the train," he said, ignoring the snort Black gave, "we decided to make it up to you, and put together the patrols. It's all there."

"You – you put together the patrols? Both of you?" I asked.

"Yeah," said Potter, not taking his eyes off his map. "You're welcome."

"I – thanks," I said, not really knowing what else to say. Then I looked at the map. "What are you doing Potter?"

"Planning," he said shortly.

"For what?" I asked. What did Potter ever have to plan for?

He sighed and pushed the map away from him. Only then did I see that there were several little people flying around on brooms on it.

"For the Quidditch tryouts of course," he said.

"You got Captain this year?" I asked, mildly impressed. Potter was arrogant but when he was on the Quidditch pitch, he _did_ deserve some of it.

The Marauders all exchanged bemused and, in Black's case, annoyed looks.

"Evans," Potter said, "I was Captain last year too. Haven't you been to one of our matches?"

"Err," I said, blushing furiously. "No, not really."

They all just stared at me. "You – you've really never been to a Quidditch match?" Black asked, seemingly forgetting the fact he was angry with me.

"Um, no," I said.

"Do you know who's on the team?" Potter asked.

"Well, I know you're a Chaser," I said. "But I – no, I don't know anyone else."

Black snorted again.

"Really Evans?" Potter asked. "You don't know who's on the team? I think even the firsties know. Sirius here is our star Beater," Black would have usually taken a bow, but he just smirked at me, "I am Captain and Chaser, Hestia Jones from your dormitory is another Chaser, and we need a new Chaser after Grace Marson graduated last year. We need a new Beater too, but the Keeper, Michael Wood is still here, he's a fifth year, been on the team since for last years and so is the Seeker, Marcia Brown, she's younger, a third year, but she tried out last year and she's pretty good. I think I won't even bother to tryout the rest of the team again, just a Beater, and a Chaser. What's the point, we won last year, and by a lot too I might add."

There was a little explosion of movement on Potter's miniature pitch as Tiny Black wacked a Bludger (yes, I know what the balls are called) at the opposing team, which was dressed in dark gray. Potter saw me watching them.

"They change according to what House we're playing," he explained. "I charmed it a few years ago when my – when I got it for my birthday."

I had no idea what happened or what one of us had said but the rest of the Marauder suddenly leaped into action.

"Well, nice to see you Lily," Peter said, rushing forward. "You got your list, and we were glad to be of help to describe Quidditch to you, but we all have work to do –"

"You're doing work?" I asked, not believing them in the slightest.

"Yes, yes," Black cut in. "Pranks and all that, got to liven up the school somehow." He grabbed my elbow and pulled me out, flinging open the door with his free hand. "Nice of you to stop by, make sure you don't come by again, bye-bye now."

I turned, stunned, as he tossed me out in the hall, closing the door quickly behind him. The final glance I got of their disheveled room was Remus, now sitting on Potter's bed, hand on his shoulder.

'_What the bloody hell just happened?'_ I asked myself, not sure what to make of the Marauders throwing me out of their room. I hadn't yelled, I had only been asking questions, so why had they all reacted that way?

Did this have something to do with Potter's summer? What had he said before they had forced my out?

"_I charmed it a few years ago when my – when I got it for my birthday."_ What was so bad about that? Had something happened on his birthday?

I snorted softly and looked at the time table in my hands. _'The world is going mad. Black and Potter being kind, Potter being organized, me caring about Potter, not to mention this war that we're going to walk out into when we finish school.'_

Yup, the world was most definitely going mental. Now I had to try and keep up with it.

**Hmm, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. Did you all like it because, well… I don't know, it's not my favorite, I think. Drop me a review; tell me what you thought please!**

**And I feel like Guests don't review as much because us authors have no way of getting back to them with questions, but never fear my amazing, lacking of account reviewers, I will respond to your questions and comments right here, even though that means waiting just a bit longer. **

**Selma: Thank you for being my first guest review to the Final Year! I loved that you would stay up all night reading (something I do for good books and fics as well). I am really touched. Thanks, Lily will understand soon.**

**The more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to continue the story, so if you want the next chapter up faster, make sure you review, it'll only take about two minutes of your day. Pretty please?**

**Until next time,**

**~Lover or Hater**


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